What I Learned About Grit From Losing Everything
Everyone talks about grit like it’s a buzzword. “Just grind harder.” “Push through.” “Keep hustling.” But grit isn’t loud. It’s not motivational quotes or overnight success stories. It’s quiet. It’s lonely. It shows up when everything you built disappears, and there’s no applause for the rebuild. I know, because I’ve lived it. I lost almost everything—twice. And what I learned about grit didn’t come from the wins. It came from the rubble.
The Glamour of Grit Is a Lie
Social media will have you thinking grit looks like 4 a.m. workouts, polished routines, and relentless ambition. But when you’re really in it—when life has punched you in the gut and you’re gasping for air—grit looks different.
Grit is choosing to send another proposal after hearing “no” 12 times that week.
Grit is showing up to work with bills past due and your pride bruised.
Grit is forgiving yourself for the mistakes that cost you everything—and still building again.
The real kind of grit isn’t glamorous. It’s deeply human.
When I Lost Everything (Again)
It wasn’t just one thing. It was years of pressure, poor decisions, trying to do too much alone, trusting the wrong people, and ignoring the warning signs. I watched opportunities dry up. I watched people walk away. I faced legal trouble, financial collapse, and personal devastation—all at once.
I had cancer. Twice.
I went through a divorce.
I had to look my family in the eye and say, “I’m starting over.”
No amount of strategy or branding or mindset hacks could fix it overnight. I had to outlast the shame. I had to show up on days when I didn’t believe in myself. That’s where I found out what grit really is.
What Grit Actually Looks Like
1. Grit Is Doing the Boring Work Again
People think grit is about intensity. But it’s really about consistency. Showing up for the work when it’s not fun, not profitable, and not getting attention. Grit is filling out that spreadsheet. It’s fixing the cash flow problem. It’s writing that follow-up email for the fourth time.
2. Grit Is Letting Go of Ego
The biggest killer of growth is pretending you’re okay when you’re not. I had to admit I needed help. I had to ask for guidance. I had to let people see me struggling. That humility hurt—but it saved me.
3. Grit Is Choosing Long-Term Over Shortcuts
I could have chased easy money. I could have cut corners. But grit means you play the long game. You build something real, even when the world says “fake it till you make it.”
4. Grit Is Healing and Leading at the Same Time
There were days I was guiding clients toward financial clarity while barely keeping my own together. But grit doesn’t mean you wait until you’re perfect to help others. It means you lead from the real place you’re in—with honesty and integrity.
What Grit Taught Me About Business
In business, grit isn’t optional—it’s oxygen. Markets change. Clients ghost. Deals fall through. If you’re only committed when it’s convenient, you won’t last.
Here’s how grit plays out inside Nova Credo and what I now teach my clients:
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Don’t panic when money gets tight. Get strategic.
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Don’t take rejection personally. Learn from it.
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Don’t build a brand you can’t back up. Build one rooted in value.
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Don’t wait for confidence. Act first. Belief follows.
The strongest entrepreneurs I know aren’t the flashiest. They’re the ones who kept going when everything screamed “quit.”
The Business Isn’t the Only Thing Being Built
When you’re in the fire, it feels like everything is being destroyed. But something else is being built: you. Your character. Your capacity. Your discernment. Grit builds things inside of you that no business success ever could.
You become someone who doesn’t flinch at pressure. Someone who can lead a team through storms because you’ve been through your own. Someone who others trust—not because of your resume, but because of your resilience.
You’re Stronger Than You Think
If you’re reading this, and you’re in your own fight right now—let me tell you what I needed to hear:
You’re stronger than this season.
You’re not disqualified by your setbacks.
You’re not too late.
You’re not too far gone.
Every day you show up, every time you choose not to quit, every email you send, every mistake you learn from—that’s grit. And grit compounds. It turns into traction. Then into breakthrough. Then into legacy.
Final Thoughts: Grit Is the Currency of the Comeback
I used to think grit was about never falling. Now I know it’s about getting back up. Again. And again. And again. Every business I’ve rebuilt, every client I’ve helped turn around their finances, every second chance I’ve stepped into—it was grit that made it possible.
If you’re at your lowest point, I’m not offering fluff. I’m offering a blueprint. A path forward. One step at a time.
We’ll talk real numbers, real strategy, and build a way forward—together.
Your comeback doesn’t need to be loud. It just needs to be honest.
Let’s get to work.